From the time when he was little Miles Shuler was watching the Oklahoma Sooners on television whenever he got the chance.

That makes Shuler unique, because while the Sooners are a national program with plenty of prestige, there are many big-time programs closer to his home in New Jersey.

On Tuesday Shuler received some very exciting news.

"I picked up a verbal offer from Oklahoma," Shuler said on Tuesday evening. "I got it around 3 p.m.

"This was actually my first time speaking to them. They liked my film and they liked the other colleges that had offered me. They know I'm an academic kind of person and they know I'm a ball player, so I'm really glad about that."

The 5-foot-11, 173-pound athlete from Long Branch, New Jersey hopes to speak with the face of the Oklahoma program before too long.

"Sooner or later I'm gonna talk to coach (Bob) Stoops and see what kind of coach he is," he said. "It would have to be an official visit.

"Since I was a little kid I always loved Oklahoma. That was my favorite college. I grew up watching them and Adrian Peterson so I'm kind of shocked they gave me an offer. It was my favorite school to watch so I'm really excited about them.

"The next thing is going out there to see if it feels like home. I have to see what kind of coaches they have and be around the players a little bit."

Shuler does not have any summer plans yet but will be at Penn State for a NIKE camp on Sunday.